Just Push Play sounds like a big medley of Aerosmith styles. It has everything from their down-and-dirty ‘70s sound to the comeback Aerosmith of the late ‘80s Permanent Vacation era, plus the new 2001 "trying to be hip" Aerosmith. This is the first album to be produced by the band’s vocalist Steven Tyler and guitar player Joe Perry, although they did get some help from longtime collaborators Mark Hudson and Marti Frederiksen. Originally, Matt Serletic (Matchbox 20, Carlos Santana), who produced the group’s recent Number One hit song "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" from the "Armageddon" soundtrack, was going to be at the helm of Just Push Play, but the band decided that they wanted to go in a different direction. Despite the midstream switch of producers, Billboard Magazine has reported that Matt and the band are still on good terms.

Just Push Play is an album that sonically lacks the spit and polish that you’d expect from Aerosmith. I listened to this CD on a number of systems and the one constant was a lack of real aural presence. The sound is quite compressed and just does not jump out of the speakers. This fact alone made it hard to really focus on the music.

It may bother some fans to hear drum machines and samples on a dirty rock record, but they’re not so out of place that they completely ruin the music on Just Push Play. Rush tried to put a rap section into their 1991 song "Roll The Bones" and the result was one of the most horrific pieces of music ever laid down on tape. Just Push Play doesn’t have any huge stinkers like this, but there was an obvious effort made to modernize their sound. I do admire Aerosmith for trying, and the best result of this effort is on the tripped-out title song "Just Push Play." It has crazy backward sound effects, a hip-hop flavored backbeat and a killer chorus that really make it a solid song. Parents should be warned, though: there are quite a few four-letter words tossed in with Steven Tyler’s usual sexed-up lyrics.

The album’s first single, "Jaded," is so reminiscent of Aerosmith’s mid-‘90s hits, I think it’s actually meant to be part of the "Amazing," "Crazy," "Crying" trilogy of songs. When listening to it, you can just picture Garth’s cousin tying the scarves on the mike stand for Mr. Tyler before he begins belting out the vocals in typical over-the-top Aerosmith fashion. The album’s mid-tempo ballads, and trust me, there are plenty of them, have the typical Aerosmith sound. However, the album’s rockers, such as "Outta Your Head" and Trip Hoppin’" make me think the band has been spinning more Rage Against the Machine and Stone Temple Pilots than any classic rock lately. I do have great respect for the band for doing something new with their sound. It’s pretty amazing that they are still around making music that appeals to such as wide range of fans, both young and old.

Towards the end, the album peters out a bit and, in a very predictable manner, there is a hidden "bonus" track. Hidden tracks are such standard fare that it’s no real surprise to hear a little piece of music tacked on to the end of an album. Unfortunately, all that we get is a remixed lo-fi version of the song "Just Push Play" that has some orchestral elements in it. It’s really cheesy, but from a musical standpoint, it does bring closure to the album. The problem is that ultimately Just Push Play just isn’t the kind of record that you’ll be going back to very often.